Today we’d like to introduce you to Yancey Quinones.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I come from a coffee growing family via my mother’s side. My mother was born in 1935 in Guatemala, she is a German Jew descendant. Her father was a land baron and dedicated his life to coffee and produce farming. When my mother was 25 years old a great civil war erupted in the country devastating the countryside and divided families. Her father’s family sided with the government and her mother’s family sided with the insurgency. After five years of battles and defeats she migrated to the capital with her mother leaving behind the farmland and seeking a better future. With the help of a friend working as a senior American Ambassador secretary she was able to “sneek” some visa paperwork and get a 30-day travel permit to the USA. This was 1965. She got a one-way ticket with another return ticket credit but she would never return until 1999 to reclaim her coffee lands after the 1996 Geneva Accords Peace treaty between the Guatemalan government and Guatemalan Insurgents. I walked into the picture during my college tenure and the opportunity to travel back to my mother’s homeland. It was Summer of 2001 when I arrived in Guatemala to help run and learn the coffee farming business. I stuck around doing the deeds of manual labor and Mayan indigenous cultural learnings.
When the attacks of 9/11 occurred, I was working on the coffee fields and was able to see the dependability of the Guatemalan people towards the USA. As time progressed, my mission and perspective changed and I sought an opportunity to help the regional economy of my mother’s hometown. I became an entrepreneur dreamer and began my coffee journey back to Los Angeles city. When I came back home in late 2001. I started working on my business plan to built a coffee roaster and shop. In the meantime, I got a job for a local architectural firm doing their business services but I also learned design and city protocols. Eventually, I resigned and decided to pursue my business dream. The journey would begin with lots of will and tons of roadblocks for the years to come. I decided to get a job at Coffee bean and tea leaf basically just to learn the retail side of the industry. I was literally promoted quickly because I showed interest but really I was learning to run a business because one day I would have my own. Coffee bean management took notice and send me to their (MIT) program (Manager In Training). It was a six weeks program to convert us into store managers and I was all in. My plan was to complete the training and quit, I was on my way to success. When I completed the program, I was assigned to a new store in East Los Angeles. This is where I officially resigned the company and two years later…
In 2005, I officially opened the doors for Antigua Coffee House in El Sereno. After raising money from friends and family and a couple of associates, we embarked into a new venture. It was exciting and challenging for the next three years. After being in El Sereno for three years and nearly broke with a failed partnership and debt, we left El Sereno and I picked up where I left off. I opened up in Cypress Park but this time solo and no partners. My dream was still alive and my revised business plan had new funders. Crowd fundings and other platforms did not exist yet, I had to knock on doors to raise money. This time around, I was the only one in charge and would make this business a success at all costs. It was hard, rough, tough, tears and agonizing to keep the business going but I would not quit. Today after 12 years in Cypress Park, COVID-19 showed up but it didn’t stop us! We have built a strong community and a loyal customer base. Our quality products continue to grow and deliver but most importantly the space we created is a powerful element that our neighborhood needed and still needs today. We are very proud of our coffee and tea products, our coffee comes straight from our lands in Guatemala.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Our journey was complicated and not very easy but it was feasible and passionate. We never gave up instead we looked for ways to succeed and to stay motivated.
As you know, we’re big fans of Antigua Coffee Roasters of Cypress Park. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are Coffee Growers, coffee roasters, master tea blenders and we create Alta- California Sandwiches. We never jeopardize quality and make everything from scratch. We set the bar in quality and our coffee stands out as a Grade A product. Whenever anyone drinks our coffee, they know they are having the best experience possible. Whenever you see our logo, you know that’s fine quality and that’s what we love about our customers!
What makes you happy?
I have 19 years of coffee roasting experience and as a master roaster, it makes me happy to see people drink my creation. Every time someone buys a bag of our beans, they take home a lifetime of passion and deliciousness created by a person who loves coffee and respects the land the ancestors blessed.
Pricing:
- $15 a pound of Coffee beans
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Antiguacoffeeroasters
Image Credits
Pictures by Yancey Quinones and Andrew Bernasconi
